Pupils miss class due to quake damage

Orkney - Vuyani-Mawethu Secondary School pupils in the
township of Khuma near Orkney in the North West were milling around the
schoolyard on Wednesday morning as teachers tried to find a way to deal with
damaged classrooms.

At least four classrooms were damaged on Tuesday when an
earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale hit the province. The computer
lab suffered the most damage with ceiling boards and bricks having fallen to
the ground.

Some pupils were inside when the earthquake hit.

The Grade 10 and Grade 12 pupils were told to go home
because their classrooms were too badly damaged to continue working on
Wednesday.

Besides Vuyani-Mawethu Secondary School, Borankanelo
Secondary School was also damaged.

He said nobody was hurt.

"We are currently doing an assessment of the computer
lab and the computers and then a way forward will be found," Motara said.

Pupils played soccer while officials conducted their
inspections.

The quake was also felt in large parts of the country and
neighbouring states, such as Botswana and Mozambique.

The quake left a trail of damage in the North West province
with the Matlosana local municipality being the hardest hit.

Houses damaged

About 400 houses were reportedly damaged in the township of
Khuma and one person was killed.

Residents were on Wednesday morning still taking stock of
the damage to houses.

Mamosa Melato, a woman whose house was destroyed, told Sapa
the family slept in the RDP house behind the badly damaged structure, despite
the provincial government pledging to assist residents.

"We slept in the RDP house. Officials just came and
took samples of soil and bricks, and they said they would return today
[Wednesday]," she said.

The premier's office announced on Tuesday that 26 families
from Khuma in Stilfontein, east of Klerksdorp in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district
municipality, whose households were badly damaged by the quake were receiving
assistance in the form of temporary accommodation, food, and related basic
needs.

Another resident Malehlohonolo Mosai, said her family was
not visited by any member of the provincial government except for surveyors
accompanied by Sapa.

"The only people who came to the house were those that
evaluated the house and told us not to sleep in the house as it was not
safe," she said.

Mosai said they could not cook and had to go to bed hungry
as they could not enter their two bedroom house.

"We slept hungry and even today the children went to
school without bathing and eating," said Mosai.

She appealed to government to help rebuild her house as she
was unemployed and relied on state grants.

North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo and Matlosana mayor Mike
Khauoe visited the area on Wednesday.